DiscGenics Announces Completion of Enrollment in U.S. Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial of Discogenic Cell Therapy for Degenerative Disc Disease
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iscGenics, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing regenerative cell-based therapies that alleviate pain and restore function in patients with degenerative diseases of the spine, announced that it has completed enrollment in its Phase 1/2 first-in-human U.S. clinical study of IDCT, an allogeneic, injectable Discogenic Cell therapy for degenerative disc disease (DDD).
This prospective, randomized, double-blinded, vehicle- and placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical study is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of IDCT in patients with symptomatic, single-level, mild to moderate lumbar DDD. All 60 subjects have been treated and no safety issues have been reported. Subjects will be followed for a period of two years.
DDD is a complex medical condition characterized by inflammation and breakdown of intervertebral disc tissue, making it a highly complicated environment to heal, said Domagoj Coric, M.D. of Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates and Spine Division Chief of Atrium's Musculoskeletal Institute as well as the study's principal investigator. We are thrilled to be participating in the clinical evaluation of IDCT, as we believe it has the potential to reduce inflammation and restore disc height, as demonstrated in preclinical studies. If these findings can be replicated in humans, it could result in reduced pain and disability, making IDCT an extremely attractive therapeutic candidate for the unmet medical need of one of the most common causes of chronic low back pain.
Chronic low back pain is a serious medical condition that represents a leading cause of disability worldwide (1) and is the most common non-cancer reason for opioid prescription in the U.S. (2). It affects 12-30% of U.S. adults at a given time (3) and is estimated to cost the U.S. healthcare system over $100 billion each year (1), creating a significant burden on the economy and individual patients dealing with the condition. In nearly 40% of patients, low back pain is caused by DDD (4-6).
The completion of patient enrollment in our first-in-human U.S. study of IDCT for DDD represents a significant milestone and an important step in the development of this potentially revolutionary treatment for a truly significant unmet medical need, said Flagg Flanagan, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors for DiscGenics. We are looking forward to successful completion of the study. In the meantime, we are focused on the scale up and scale out of our commercial cGMP manufacturing facility in Salt Lake City to meet all regulator requirements and anticipated commercial demand for IDCT.
IDCT is a homologous, allogeneic, injectable cell therapy that utilizes proprietary Discogenic Cells, which are biomedically engineered progenitor cells that have been derived from intervertebral disc tissue. Discogenic Cells are reproducibly manufactured in a highly controlled environment under current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) and subjected to extensive testing throughout production and prior to use, including identity, purity, potency and safety. The final product is cryopreserved and maintained as individual off-the-shelf doses for administration in an out-patient setting.
✔️ DiscGenics Announces Completion of Enrollment in U.S. Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial of Discogenic Cell Therapy for Degenerative Disc Disease
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